


The Madness of the King

by pennywritesthings (orphan_account)



Series: The Madness of the King [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF, X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Minor X-Ray and Vav spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9538589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/pennywritesthings
Summary: Prompt by Anon on tumblr: Reader/Mad King (like X-ray and Vav Mad King) with the prompt “Are you really gonna leave without asking me the question you’ve been dying to ask me?” please?You go with X-Ray to interrogate the Mad King, but things don’t go as planned.





	1. The Madness of the King

You hadn’t wanted to do this. When X-Ray and Vav began their petty fight, you had wanted to stay as far away from the drama as possible. You didn’t want to even breathe in their general direction because you were good friends with both of the ridiculous idiots and they both meant a lot to each of you in their own little way. However, as much as you hated to chose sides… you sort of did. 

Vav was a good guy deep down, you knew that. But choosing Ash, a woman who, despite you understanding that she had the best intentions, over X-Ray time and time again was a bit of a deal breaker to you. Hilda was right when she decided to stay away from their bullshit, but you weren’t as lucky, as childhood friends of those two doofuses. 

That’s why you found yourself going, very begrudgingly, with X-Ray to interrogate the Mad King when Vav denied him in favor of searching with Ash. You wouldn’t consider yourself a superhero like they considered themselves, but you would assist in any way you could when they needed it, given your background in martial arts. However, with the looming threat of Mogar, you were practically useless, and you hated it.

You had always been able out-think and out-fight your enemies. Most of the so-called villains in the city were fucking lame anyway, and it wasn’t hard to beat them, though you did let X-Ray and Vav take care of it if they could. When you came across Mogar, he practically beat you to a bloody pulp. You never even stood a  _ chance, _ and you couldn’t handle it.

What was it about Mogar that made him so fucking strong? How was he so skilled at fighting when his speaking was abysmal and his clothes (or lack thereof) reminded you of a literal fucking bear man who lived in the woods his whole life?

So far, the only thing you, Hilda and Rusty had come up with was that he worked for the Mad King. If the Mad King was your only chance at answers, you had to take it, even though you fucking hated yourself for it. You tried to tell yourself you were only going to support X-Ray, who really needed someone,  _ anyone _ to be there for him, but you couldn’t lie to yourself for shit. 

However, you could lie to X-Ray perfectly well. Which was why you stood in the back, partially shrouded in the shadows of the visiting area of his cell, arms crossed over your chest and pretending like you were only the backup. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” The Mad King’s voice was sultry and persuasive, you couldn’t lie. How else would a manipulative bastard like him gained as much power as he did? You tried to look away, feeling a little too much like Clarice from Silence of the Lambs facing Hannibal Lector for the first time, but you could feel his sharp eyes burning a hole into your skull.

Your eyes reluctantly met his, if only to try to push away the skin-crawling sensation you felt all over. It didn’t work. 

“X-Ray,” The Mad King purred, his eyes never once leaving yours. “And friend.”

“Hey, asshole.” X-Ray snapped, stepping in between the two of you, effectively breaking Mad King’s creepy concentration on you. “My eyes are up here. I’ve got a few questions for you, and you’re going to answer them whether you like it or not.”

“How completely desperate you must be to have turned to  _ me.” _

Your lips formed a pissed-off grimace. You  _ weren’t _ desperate. He was your only option. It wasn’t like you had any other choice.

_ Shut up, _ you reminded yourself.  _ You’re here for X-Ray. This is his moment, not yours. _

“Yeah, it’s awesome.” You were behind X-Ray, but you could picture his eyeroll perfectly. You smiled to yourself despite the situation. Good old X-Ray. “Let’s cut to the chase. We don’t have all day.”

“Oh, but I do.” Your smile slipped quickly. “I have all the time in the world, thanks to  _ you. _ ”

The rest of the interrogation happened exactly how you both expected it would. X-Ray making shitty, sarcastic remarks, and the Mad King being less than helpful. You bit the inside of your cheek. You weren’t an expert on things like this, but you could definitely tell that it seemed like the Mad King was searching for something just like X-Ray was. You had absolutely zero ideas as to what it was, and that scared you just as bad as Mogar did. 

“You’re probably too dumb to answer my questions anyway…” 

That was it. You promised both yourself and X-Ray that you would stay in the background, but as much as you loved X-Ray, you knew he would fall for the Mad King’s trap easily. 

“X-Ray, don’t-” You stepped forward, placing a hand on your friend’s shoulder, but he pushed you away with an indignant yell.

“Oh yeah? I can answer your questions! Watch me.” 

The Mad King smirked, but whether it was at X-Ray’s stubbornness and not listening to you at the crucial moment or at your crestfallen expression was unclear. Either way, it was extraordinarily unsettling. You couldn’t stop X-Ray now. You knew how he got when he was like this. He always felt like he had something to prove, ever since he was a kid, and he’d stop at nothing to prove it. You weren’t even sure if he himself knew what he was trying to prove. 

“Let’s start with the obvious. Why did you come here without Vav?”

Your eyebrows wrinkled together in the middle of your forehead. What on earth was he trying to achieve here? Why the fuck did he care? He was stuck there, in his cell, and had been for quite some time. 

But… if you were so certain that he was the one imprisoned and wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon, why was your chest tight with fear since the moment you walked into the very high-grade security prison?

Your body tensed even further, preparing for a battle, as X-Ray explained to the Mad King that Ash was clouding Vav’s judgement. This was going so much worse than you had anticipated… Why on Earth had you allowed X-Ray to go through with this? Why, why,  _ why? _

“You want to know what I think about you, X-Ray? I think you’ve been lying to yourself. Your father left when you were young, packed up and abandoned you. You’ve been feeling alone ever since-” The Mad King’s voice was almost hypnotic, the crazed, calculated look in his eye alone almost stopping you from stopping him, but what he was saying, you couldn’t stand for. 

“Listen up, asshole.” You growled, pushing X-Ray to the side as you walked as close to the glass separating you and a dangerous mastermind as you dared. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re trying to fool, but X-Ray is  _ not _ alone. He never has been, and he never will be. Not as long as I’m here. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone, least of all  _ you. _ You may think you’re getting somewhere with your little mind games, but I can assure you, X-Ray is stronger than you’ll ever hope to be. Whatever you’re planning,  _ it won’t work,  _ I can promise you that right here right now.”

You were certain that you had never spoken that much or that passionately in years, if at all, but despite stunning yourself as much as you stunned the Mad King and X-Ray, you kept your jaw locked, chin high, and eyes defiant. Nobody treated your friends like that. Nobody.

The Mad King raised an eyebrow at you, but you weren’t even slightly deterred. “Ah, so the mute friend speaks. It’s almost adorable how much faith you have in someone who clearly doesn’t care about you as much as you do about him. X-Ray would have you stand in the background, fading away, while  _ he _ deals with talking to me. Wouldn’t you rather put that firey attitude of yours to good use? Wouldn’t you rather take the glory you deserve?”

“No.” You replied quietly, then slightly louder as you stepped closer, trying to show your defiance to him. “No. I don’t give a shit that you seem to think that X-Ray cares more about his friendship with Vav than he does with me. Even if that was true, I wouldn’t care, because I’m a decent human being. I don’t need your pathetic  _ glory. _ I have all that I need, so take your mind games and shove them up your ass. Give us everything you have on Mogar,  _ now.” _

“I’m afraid I don’t have anything of interest to you, my dear.” The Mad King said smoothly, “You’ve already been  _ beaten _ to the punch.”

The double entendre the Mad King made didn’t escape you, and you wanted nothing more than to kick his teeth in right then and there. Instead, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath before turning around. 

“C’mon, X-Ray. We’re wasting our time.” You were surprised at how steady and even your voice was, considering the rage building inside of you, but you would contemplate that later, when you were a safe distance away from this creep and your best friend wasn’t looking like he was about to fall apart. 

“Are you really going to leave without asking me the question you’ve been dying to ask me?” 

It was obvious that the question the silky smooth voice posed was aimed at you, but you had to wrap your hand around X-Ray’s arm to keep him from whirling around and giving the Mad King any more information than he already did.

“Yes.” Your voice rang clear throughout the holding cell, strong and powerful, before you left without turning back or saying another word. 

The Mad King may be a manipulative son of a bitch, but you weren’t going to let him tear X-Ray and Vav apart, even if it was the last damn thing you ever did. You were going to fix this. You had to. 

You closed your eyes as you led X-Ray out of the prison. 

_ You had to. _


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> X-Ray and Vav saved the city, but where did that leave you? All alone on a pathetic swingset with unanswered questions, that’s where.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The (very surprisingly) requested part two to my Mad King fic! I’d like to dedicate this chapter to Sam, who was very lovely to me and has been very kind and supportive. Thanks a million bajillion, Sam.<3

You weren’t celebrating with the others. You weren’t with X-Ray, Vav and Ash as they helped repair Mogar’s treehouse after the defeat of the Mad King. You weren’t with all the citizens rejoicing that X-Ray and Vav had saved the city again - even though literally just twenty four hours ago they hated the two. 

Hell, you weren’t even  _ happy. _ You were fucking sulking in the abandoned park, all alone, like some teenager in a shitty movie. Not even just  _ any _ abandoned park. The very same one where you and X-Ray met Vav.

It was great that your two best friends were friends again, that they had finally pulled their heads out of their asses, but… but something X-Ray had said when he was setting Vav free really stuck with you. You knew you shouldn’t let it bother you, especially when you saw the smirk on the Mad King’s face, but it was. 

_ “I’ll tell you what Vav offers. He’s the only person who’s ever believed in me.” _

You weren’t going to lie. That stung. Quite a fucking bit. The  _ only _ person? You had always been there for X-Ray, even when it hurt you to do so. You would literally give life and limb to ensure his safety and happiness, and as always, he threw it in your face. 

But you knew he didn’t mean to. You knew, in his mind, you were just  _ there. _ You were dependable, but he never had to put a name on it or think about it too much. As much as you wanted to be done, to slowly fade into the background and let X-Ray and Vav be superheroes without bothering to think of you, you couldn’t.

There were still unanswered questions. Your Mogar questions were answered, sure. He was now someone you could add to your very short list of people you could call on in a jam. But what about the Mad King? Why did he look so fucking  _ smug _ when X-Ray and Vav made up? Wasn’t that his plan all along, to get the two apart so he could enslave the world?

He should have been furious. He looked angry enough to fool everybody else, but not you. You saw the wicked glint in his eyes, and the slight smirk pulling at his lips as his eyes flickered to you for just one second. He was a very powerful CEO, and the people of this city were clearly dumb enough to follow him blindly, even after he literally broke out of a mental hospital prison facility. 

He was carried off by the people, but that was all you saw. What could they do? Call the police? And then what? The only thing the police could do would be the same thing they tried to do before. They couldn’t hold him, as he had already proved before. He may have lost his connections, but he still had his wits. 

You couldn’t deny that the Mad King was a smart man. He had gained power and lost it, only to gain it again and come within a hairsbreadth of enslaving the human race. He was able to coerce an entire city to trust him again after they had clear evidence that he was a fucking psychopath. 

You knew he had something planned. He had to. Why else would he let himself loose like that? The way he acted wasn’t like that of someone who had lost it all. Almost, but not quite. You could see through that. 

“This is boring.” 

The (unfortunately) familiar, smooth baritone voice rang in your ears like the loudest church bell. You jumped out of the swingset, shifting immediately into a defensive position to the man in front of you. His clothes were torn in some places, and his crown was missing, but he still looked as cocky as ever. What the  _ fuck _ was he planning?

“Mad King.” You spat, keeping your distance, but raising your hands to ready for a fight. You knew he would be getting out of whatever captivity he was put in, but you didn’t know that it would happen literally that day. 

“Relax.” He soothed, putting his hands up, as if to show he wasn’t armed, but you didn’t trust him. “I’m not here for any nefarious reasons.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Right, yeah, because I believe that. I’m not as stupid as you seem to think I am, Mad King.”

The Mad King raised an eyebrow before sitting down on the other swing, next to the one you were previously on. “I’m not the Mad King anymore. You can stop looking like you’re ready to beat the shit out of me now, thanks.” 

“What does that mean?”

You had done your fair share of research into Monarch Labs. As far as you could tell, he was, for all intents and purposes, the Mad King. Everybody called him that and nobody seemed to bat an eyelash. That, and he certainly embraced everything the title gave him. So what the fuck…?

He was starting to look irritated now, but still was hunched over ever so slightly, like he didn’t even realize it. He looked completely defeated. It was a far cry from the air of ‘oh, shoot, my plans have been foiled again’ that he seemed to be giving out when X-Ray and Vav stopped him. 

“It means that I’m done. It means that you win and I lose.” The Mad King replied calmly, looking down at his feet. “My plan was foolproof. I didn’t account for X-Ray and Vav to overcome their issues.”

“Obviously, it wasn’t foolproof. Those two are fucking morons.” You loved them, but it was true. “But they’re fucking morons who will always have each other, no matter what. I told you this before, but you didn’t listen to me.”

The Mad King was silent for a while after that, not once lifting his eyes from the ground to look at you, but you kept your eyes on him. You weren’t going to have your guard down when he decided to do something. 

“I have a question.” 

“I don’t care.” Your reply was instant and biting, but he didn’t seem to mind. His eyes finally met yours, and you were taken aback by how blue his eyes were once again. 

“That’s what I’m confused about.” The Mad King said, getting up and looking more confused than frustrated. “You  _ do _ care. You care that X-Ray dismissed you so easily in my cell, and that he did so again in the lab, and yet you act as if you don’t. Why?”

Your eyebrows ran together in confusion. Was this really bothering him? “Why do you care? It doesn’t matter. You’re powerless. Monarch Labs has fallen, and even you just admitted that you’re not the Mad King anymore. None of that matters.”

“Do you love him?”

His question was so blase, so casual, but it was enough to stab you in the chest. 

“That sure as hell isn’t any of your concern.” You growled, and immediately hated yourself for taking his bait. God, that wasn’t like you. You were the level-headed one, the logical one. What was happening? 

“So you do, then.” The Mad King replied. He didn’t seem satisfied with the information you accidentally handed to him on a silver platter. You scowled. 

“It. Doesn’t. Matter.”

“Clearly, it matters to you.” He replied, raising an eyebrow. 

“Why the fuck do you care?” You snapped, stepping closer to him now, almost unconsciously. “What does any of this have to do with you, Mad King?”

“I told you.” The Mad King’s response was calm, quiet, and yet, you could sense something else in his voice. “I’m not the Mad King anymore.”

“Well then, who the fuck are you?” You hated yourself for getting this frustrated, but you were sick and fucking tired of having all of these questions. 

The Mad King took a deep breath, closing his eyes and holding the air in his body for a moment before exhaling and opening his blue eyes once again as he stood and moved to be right in front of you, only inches away from your seething form. “I’m Ryan. Ryan Haywood. It’s nice to meet you.” 

You froze. 

Suddenly, everything was all too much for you. You felt almost suffocated. They day’s events were crashing down on you like a massive tidal wave, and you couldn’t take it anymore. 

“I’m leaving. I’m going to pretend this didn’t happen, that you’re in some prison cell somewhere, and you’re going to pretend as well. We’re going to go our separate ways and never talk to each other again.” Your words came out slowly, as if you were afraid they were too fragile and would break if you were too brash. 

And, with that, just like the first time you met him, you turned your back and walked away. 


	3. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month had passed between the fall of the Mad King, and while your life should have gotten better, it hadn’t. Go fucking figure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hath arrived! I’m so fucking excited for where this fic is going. I just. I’m so glad that I got off my ass and wrote this. I’d like to dedicate this chapter to the Mad King anon, whoever you are and wherever you may be! Thank you for keeping me in mind when you have your wonderful musings, and please, continue to send them to me! I see them, I promise, I just want to keep them in my ask box for inspiration. <3

You relaxed back in your seat as you sent off your first email of the day. Unlike X-Ray and Vav, you actually did have a day job. Well, it was more freelance, but that was besides the point. You were an editor-for-hire for other freelance authors out there. It was enough to pay the bills so that you wouldn’t have to live in X-Ray’s mom’s basement with the man himself and Vav. 

You lived in a small studio apartment, which your family and friends endlessly teased you about since you were a grown ass woman and not a teenager trying to move out for the first time, but the rent was cheap enough to where you could keep it looking very nice and always have what you needed while still having time to go fight some bad guys with X-Ray and Vav. 

At least, that’s how it was in the past. Your body sank down into your seat and your heart felt heavy once again as you thought about the two. They were closer than ever, which was really fantastic, but they didn’t talk to you anymore. They didn’t even make an effort. Usually, when they needed you, they’d be at your front door within minutes, and even when they didn’t, you’d get a phone call asking to hang out. Very rarely did more than a few days go by without seeing or hearing from those two. 

But it had been a month. A month since they had saved the city, and you had heard  _ nada. _ You read all about them on Ash’s blog, which is how you knew they were doing good and still alive, and the woman herself had sent in a few of her posts to you to edit, but that was it. It was as if you had never met them in the first place. A whole chunk of your life, from when you and the two were knee high to a bottle of pepsi to now had just been… erased. 

At least you had Hilda. The woman had been an absolute lifesaver, coming over at least once every few days to get you out of your house for coffee. The two of you didn’t do much talking, but she was a silent rock. She knew you were going through a hard time since essentially losing your two best friends, but she was too awkward to give you verbal support. That was perfectly fine with you. You didn’t want false reassurances. You wanted your friends back. 

Of course, communication was a two way street. You knew that. You glanced at your phone for about the millionth time in a month, letting your fingertips brush across the surface, before you looked away. You didn’t know what you would hear on the other end. You didn’t want to know. Evidently, they didn’t need you anymore. It hurt, but at least… at least you… 

You bit your lip, trying to come up with a bright side to this. Maybe this was you just being depressed, but you couldn’t find a bright side. Oh, hell. You needed to talk to them. Get a clean break. That’s what all those psychologists talk about, right? 

You went to your phone, tapping in the X-Ray and Vav hotline and hitting the call button before you could whimp out of it. 

“Are you calling  _ them?” _

The voice that you had been trying so fucking hard to forget about rang through your apartment, scaring you so bad that you jumped in your seat and almost dropped your phone, hitting the end button before the other end could even ring twice. 

You whirled around, standing up to go confront the Mad King - you had successfully pretended that the conversation the two of you had on the old abandoned playground didn’t exist, therefore you didn’t know that his name was Ryan Haywood - before you stopped in your tracks. 

He wasn’t wearing his usual button up shirt, suit jacket and ridiculous kilt and crown. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt, dad jeans, and an old pair of shoes that looked like he had had them for the past twenty years. He had a beard now, too. It was short, but still full. 

However, that wasn’t important. What  _ was _ important was that he was in your fucking apartment, leaning back on your couch with his arms crossed over his chest and a raised eyebrow. 

“What the  _ fuck _ are you doing here?” You hissed, taking a step forward and getting ready for a fight. “How did you find out where I live?”

The Mad King met your eyes, but even his eyes - which were usually almost frighteningly piercing - looked different. Softer. What the hell was going on with him? Errantly, he shrugged one shoulder, looking down this time. He looked so…  _ defeated. _

“I had always known where you lived. When I was the Mad King, I kept close tabs on X-Ray, Vav, and all known allies, which were you, the purple haired woman who took over at Monarch, and the homeless man.” The Mad King explained. “I never needed to use the information until now. The group of you would come to me when I needed it, but now all of it but your address is useless to me.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Why me? This is the second time now you’ve sought me out without X-Ray or Vav. I’m a nobody.”

The Mad King’s eyes snapped back up to meet yours, and you were shocked with how quickly he went from being soft to looking equal parts frustrated with you and himself. “You’re not a nobody. Not to me.”

You blinked in shock, reeling from this new information. You had always been in the background, even during the fall of Monarch Labs. This was really only the third time he had ever talked to you directly. How on Earth could you matter to someone like him? He was practically a fucking sociopath, if he wasn’t a psychopath. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You asked, unconsciously stepping closer to him with one hand on your hip. 

The Mad King sighed in frustration, pushing off from where he was leaning on the couch and walking a bit farther away, his back now facing you so you couldn’t see his face. “I don’t know.” 

What the fuck? You growled, irritated as all hell, moving back to him and putting two hands on his back to push him to your door and out of your apartment. “That fucking does it. I will not stand here and listen to your vague answers. Get the fuck out of my apartment before I beat the shit out of you, Mad King.” 

“I’d appreciate it if you called me Ryan, and if you’d hear me out, just for a few minutes.” The Mad King turned around and practically begged, his eyes pleading. That… that was certainly unexpected. He had never struck you as the type to beg. He simply got what he wanted, whenever and however he wanted it. 

“You have one minute.” You responded coolly, crossing your arms over your chest, immediately internally chastising yourself for giving into him. 

“I wasn’t lying at the park when I said I wasn’t the Mad King anymore.” He said instantly, rushing through his words to get full use of the minute you were giving him. “I’m Ryan Haywood. I’m a normal man. I lost that other part of me when I lost to X-Ray and Vav. I don’t know why you intrigue me as much as you do, I really don’t. The moment I do, I swear I will tell you. I don’t know who I am outside of being the Mad King. I need help to find Ryan. I need  _ your _ help.” 

“Why my help, specifically?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. You weren’t impressed or convinced. This man had incredible powers of manipulation. You didn’t trust him as far as you could throw him. 

“Because you helped X-Ray, and you helped Vav. You see the best in them even when I know for a fact that neither of them treat you as well as you deserve. I know that they’ve ceased contact with you, and yet, you’re still trying to call. You can make me a better man.” 

You froze. You weren’t sure whether to scream or to laugh, but you could feel your body beginning to shake. You couldn’t look at him anymore. 

_ “Get. Out.” _ You seethed, opening the door behind him and pushing him out of it. He looked surprised as he stumbled to the floor, landing on his ass on your doorstep. “You get the  _ fuck _ out of here, and you stay the  _ fuck _ away from me, you presumptuous sack of shit. I don’t want to see your fucking face again, do you understand? If you try to find me again, I won’t hesitate to beat the living shit out of you, got it?” 

You slammed the door, locking both the top, bottom, and deadlock, stomping back to your desk and looking back down at your phone. The screen hadn’t quite dimmed yet, and it was open to your contacts list. You had only the numbers of clients, the X-Ray and Vav hotline, Ash, and Hilda. You bit your lip, listening to the sounds of footsteps fading away. 

You wanted to forget this happened, but even if he seemed harmless, you felt like you should tell somebody. X-Ray and Vav seemed like the obvious choice to tell, considering they had kicked his ass twice, but now… Now you didn’t want to talk to them anymore. As much as you hated to admit it, the Mad King was right. They had both treated you worse than you deserved, even though you literally had risked your life and your whole world to be there for them whenever they needed you. 

You tapped a few times on your phone’s screen, placing the object up to your ear after you hit call. “Hilda? I know we just talked yesterday, but I need you to come over. It’s kind of important.”


	4. The Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You could do this. You could be calm. You could do this. You could be calm. You could - ah, hell. You couldn’t do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part four is here! Wooo! I’m sorry it took so long, but since I was able to bust out this chapter in less than an hour, ya’ll can expect a lot more of this a lot sooner. Chapter dedication goes to each and every one of you beautiful humans who read this. That’s right, even you. I love you. <3

The fifteen minutes it took Hilda to get to your apartment gave you enough time to collect your thoughts so that you didn’t grab Hilda by the collar and scream in her face about how confused you were. Granted, that type of behavior wasn’t typically the type that you indulged in, but, well, there was a reason they called him the Mad King. He was starting to drive you fucking crazy. 

But, you reminded yourself with a few deep breaths, you were above that. There wasn’t much in life that you considered yourself to be above, but being batshit crazy was one of them. Instead of even taking the time alone in your studio to scream and talk to yourself out loud, you brewed some tea and ate a cracker. You were calm, cool, and collected. You were going to discuss this with Hilda like an adult, you were going to figure out a logical way to handle the situation you were in. 

_ Knock, knock, knock. _

“Oh, thank fucking Christ.” You sighed, moving over to your door and wincing as you realized that you had locked the door all three ways like you were a paranoid psycho. You took another deep breath while you unlocked them all. You weren’t paranoid. He was the Mad King. You were just being safe. When you opened the door finally, you couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed that it really was Hilda at the other side. 

Not that you  _ wanted _ to see the Mad King again, but maybe if you did, you could get some more answers. You mentally shook yourself from that mindset, resigning yourself to only think about him from a third party perspective, as if this was happening to somebody else and you were simply helping them with their issues. That, you could handle. 

“Jesus, it’s like Fort Knox in here. The fuck were you expecting, a murderer?” Hilda commented, heading inside and taking a seat on your couch. You let out another sigh. 

“Kind of.” You mumbled, closing the door and this time only locking the bottom lock. You were a badass crime fighter. You’d be fine with only one lock. 

“What do you mean, ‘kind of?’” Hilda asked suspiciously when you joined her on the couch, handing her a cup of tea once you had grabbed one for yourself as well. 

“It’s a long story.” You replied, taking a sip. God, where to start? His creepy fascination with you in his prison cell when you went with X-Ray to get answers? Meeting him in the depressing park when you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice that he was right there? 

“I don’t mean to sound like an asshole,” Hilda began, looking over at you with bright, but still confused eyes. “Because I’m sure what’s going on with you is really important and all, but if yours is a long story, I have something quick to tell you before we get into that.”

You blinked in surprise. This was very unlike her, but she looked so happy. Happier than you’ve ever seen her. You nodded your permission for her to proceed, taking another wordless sip of your tea. 

“X-Ray asked me out last night.” 

If you had even just a little bit less self control than what you had, you would have spit out your tea all over the purple haired scientist in front of you. As it was, you had to stop the tears from immediately welling up in your eyes, and had to try your hardest not to look like your heart had just been ripped from your chest. 

“He did what?” You replied hoarsely, clearing your throat and repeating your question once you didn’t sound awful. 

Hilda beamed, bouncing in her seat. “Yeah. I mean, this is the first time anyone has ever been… interested in me. Obviously that’s exciting. But I wanted to ask for your opinion on this before I said anything else to him about it, you know?” 

“My… opinion?” 

“Yeah! The two of you were really close. I don’t want to say yes and make a fool out of himself if he’s just messing around with me or if he’s just going to blow it if i do say yes.” Hilda said nervously, fidgeting in her seat. You were silent for a moment, your mind and your heart racing as you tried to think of something to say. 

“That’s…” That’s really painful? That’s making your heart feel like it’s being literally ripped in two and stomped on? That was the last bit of confirmation you needed to know that he really didn’t give two shits about you, and that you were basically only a filler in his life so that he had someone to lean on while he got his shit together, even though you were in love with him? “That’s wonderful, Hilda. I’m very excited for the two of you.”

“You think I should go for it?” Hilda asked excitedly, looking at you with wide, hopeful eyes. You couldn’t say no to her. You didn’t want to hurt her chances at happiness just because of an unrequited love you’ve had for the majority of your life. You couldn’t do that to her, or… or to X-Ray. 

“Yeah.” You replied, swallowing back the scream threatening to rip from your throat. “Go for it, Hilda. Go tell him yes if that’s what you really want. I think you two are going to have a very nice relationship.” 

“Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Hilda exclaimed, pulling you into a hug. The two of you never hugged. She wasn’t a hugger, and people never hugged you anyway. It wasn’t a thing. Your heart fell a bit deeper into your stomach. You couldn’t begrudge either of them for this. She was so happy… 

“It’s no problem, Hilds.” It was a big problem. “But, I actually just remembered that I have a doctor’s appointment in an hour, and my motorcycle isn’t fixed yet. I should probably start walking over there now.” 

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Hilda said, pulling away with a big smile and taking both of your tea mugs and putting them on your coffee table in front of your couch. “I gotta go tell him yes, anyway. I don’t wanna wait anymore. Thank you again, for this. I really appreciate it, you know?” 

You smiled back, but it felt hollow. Everything about you felt hollow right about now. “Don’t worry about it. Go tell him, and text me or come over and tell me the details sometime soon, yeah?” 

“Totally! I’ll talk to you later!” Hilda waved goodbye as she headed out, hopping in her car and driving over to X-Ray’s. 

As soon as she was gone, you didn’t freak out. You didn’t cry, or scream. You grabbed a sweatshirt, your phone, and your house keys and you left your house. You didn’t have a doctor’s appointment, but you needed to take a walk. You needed to think.


End file.
